TV CRIMEFIGHTER STAR ATTACKED BY MUGGERS; Jessica is ambushed by 3

TV CRIMEBUSTER Jessica Redford has been mugged - after failing to follow her own advice.

Jessica, whose BBC1 show The Crime Squad returns tomorrow with tips on beating crooks, was attacked by three men five minutes from her home.

She was bruised and pulled muscles so badly in the attack that she was forced to give up swimming training for a planned triathlon.

Jess, 28, of South London, said: "I was travelling home at 11.30pm after spending the evening with friends. I'd just got off the Tube at a station I thought would be safer because it took me along a fairly busy main road.

"I was halfway home when I suddenly heard steps behind me. Then I saw a hand going for my briefcase. There was a struggle and they yanked my arm back and pulled the briefcase away from me.

"When it is late, I am usually extra-vigilant and aware of who's hanging around. That night, though, I'd failed to look behind me.

"But that might not have helped anyway, because I heard them only two seconds before it happened."

Jess chased the young men but couldn't catch up because of her high heels. She said: "The police said it was probably a good thing I didn't - as there were three of them.

"Now I check everyone and keep looking around. It has made me think more about my personal safety and I'll carry a rape alarm in future.

"I'll also carry my stuff in an old rucksack rather than a nice case that looks attractive to thieves. "

Jess, who works as a barrister in London by day, co-hosts The Crime Squad with Sue Lawley. She said: "Afterwards, I had a laugh with the police about the irony of me being on a TV show which aims to help people prevent crime."

But there was more embarrassment for Jess a few days later when her bike was stolen.

"And I had left it right opposite the Royal Courts Of Justice," she said.

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